To develop the Defence Manufacturing ecosystem, the Tamil Nadu Industrial Investment Corporation (TIIC) has partnered with the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to catalyze and facilitate defence manufacturing in the MSME sector in the state.

According to a State government news release, an MoU between TIIC, CII, and SIDM was signed on November 1 in the presence of the Minister for Industries Thangam Thennarasu.

The Tamilnadu Defence Corridor, which has five nodes in Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore, Salem, and Hosur, provides a chance for MSMEs in Tamil Nadu to thrive in the Defense Manufacturing ecosystem while also providing job opportunities for the state's young. The Chief Minister's vision of making Tamil Nadu's economy a $1 trillion economy by 2030 would rely heavily on defence manufacturing.

In the first phase of this collaboration, "Champion MSME Industries" in each of the five Nodes will be recognised. They will be given direction and support in order to improve their managerial and technical capabilities in order to satisfy the needs of the Defense Department.

According to the statement, the cooperation would address the demands of the MSME sector in addressing Defense indigenisation and manufacturing requirements, skillset development, infrastructure expansion, and investment promotion in the State's Defense Manufacturing ecosystem.